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Abstract

We present a new trajectory generation algorithm for autonomous guidance and control of
unmanned vehicles from a given starting point to a given target location. We build and
update incomplete a priori maps of the operating environment in real time using onboard
sensors and compute level sets on the map reflecting the minimal cost of traversal from the
current vehicle location to the goal. We convert the trajectory generation problem into a
finite-time-horizon optimal control problem using the computed level sets as terminal costs
in a receding horizon framework and transform it into a simpler nonlinear programming
problem by discretization of the candidate control and state histories. We ensure feasibility
of the generated trajectories by constraining the solution of the optimization problem using a
simplified vehicle model. We provide strong performance guarantees by checking for stability
of the algorithm through the test of matching conditions at the end of each iteration. The
algorithm thus explicitly incorporates the vehicle dynamics and constraints and generates
trajectories realizable by the vehicle in the field. Successful preliminary field demonstrations
and complete simulation results for a marine unmanned surface vehicle demonstrate
the efficacy of the proposed approach for fast operations in poorly characterized riverine
environments.